Last Sunday one of the four Red-masked Conures was missing, presumed taken by the Stoat that is decimating the zoo's birds. Today madgeandshane and I were standing in front of the Conures' aviary and I had just said "it had better not kill another Conure" (my favourite things in the zoo) when the Stoat popped its head out of a burrow in the aviary! We bent forward for a closer look and madgeandshane spotted the remains of the missing bird a few inches from where the Stoat had appeared (one of several burrow holes to be seen). I am now very worried about the prospects of the remaining Conures. The Stoat has already also killed a Barraband's Parakeet and a Princess of Wales Parakeet in the adjoining aviary in addition to various other things elsewhere in the zoo. It is not yet on the scale of the waterfowl and Wallaby killing Fox of two winters ago but.....
